Armed conflicts, flawed elections: democracy in decline everywhere, says Freedom House
Democracy suffered significant and widespread setbacks around the world in 2023 as violence and manipulation marred a series of elections, according to the annual report by US democracy promotion organization Freedom House.
Armed forces patrol the streets of Guayaquil, Ecuador's second city, on January 15, 2024 (Illustrative image).
© Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS
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In 2023, freedom in the world has declined for the 18th consecutive year, says the
annual report of the American organization Freedom House
.
According to the Washington-funded research group, "
political rights and civil liberties
" were reduced in 52 countries, while only 21 countries recorded improvements.
“
All regions recorded a decline
,” notes Yana Gorokhovskaia, co-editor of the report.
“
The deterioration is quite widespread
,” she emphasizes.
📣 NEW: #FreedomInTheWorld 2024 is now LIVE!https://t.co/ihgeaOKQWZ
Flawed elections and armed conflict drove an 18th consecutive year of democratic decline.
It's against this backdrop that billions will vote in 2024—a crucial test in the struggle for global freedom.… pic.twitter.com/vUngrnNBIA
— Freedom House (@freedomhouse) February 29, 2024
Ecuador downgraded
Freedom House's 2024 report changed the classification of two countries: Ecuador
went
from being a "free country" to being a "partially free country."
Ecuador was downgraded due to the disruption of elections by violent criminal groups, including the assassination of anti-corruption presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio following a campaign speech.
Nagorno
-Karabakh
, a territory that has long been the subject of its own assessment in this report, suffered the largest decline in freedom recorded during the year and fell from the category "partially free" to "not free” after a blockade and military offensive by the Azerbaijani regime led to the capitulation of its separatist government and the
de facto
expulsion of its ethnic Armenian population.
The report also points to the continuation of the invasion of Ukraine which has further degraded fundamental rights in the occupied zones and provoked more intense repression in Russia itself.
But also the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the civil war stemming from the 2021 military coup in Burma and the brutal fighting between rival military and paramilitary factions in Sudan.
Niger, second biggest fall of the year
Military forces also ousted
Niger
's elected government , leading to the second largest score drop of the year (18 on Freedom in the World's scale of 100) and adding a new case to the wave of coups. state – Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan – in Africa's Sahel region that began in 2020. Freedoms also continued to deteriorate in Burkina Faso, which suffered two coups in 2022. Elections in Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Madagascar were marred by political violence and accusations of fraud, while conflicts in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) resulted in devastating human rights violations. man.
In this context, the report notes, successful elections in
Liberia
and a number of court decisions protecting the rights of LGBT+ people in Kenya and Namibia were the highlights of the year.
The report documents efforts by incumbent leaders "
to control electoral competition, hinder their political opponents, or prevent them from coming to power
" in
Cambodia
,
Turkey
, and
Zimbabwe
, as well as – unsuccessfully – in
Guatemala
and in
Poland
.
Freedom House also recalls the restrictions on freedom experienced by residents of disputed territories, such as Tibet
,
Hong
Kong
, under Beijing's rule.
Thailand makes progress thanks to elections
Thailand
saw its status upgraded from "unfree" to "partly free" thanks to competitive elections, although establishment forces prevented young progressive Pita Limjaroenrat, whose progressive party Move
Forward
won the largest number of seats, to become Prime Minister.
“
It is not, I would say, a total victory for democracy, freedom and Thailand
,” said Yana Gorokhovskaia.
The biggest gain on Freedom House's 100-point scale was recorded by Fiji
,
which gained seven points.
Fiji, classified as "
partly free
", held tense elections in December 2022, in which voters ousted Frank Bainimarama, who had ruled the Pacific archipelago since a coup in 2006. Since the vote, Fiji has made significant progress, including reducing censorship and changing voter registration laws to improve women's participation, noted Yana Gorokhovskaia.
“
Pluralism is under attack but remains a source of strength for all societies
,” the report concludes.
The rejection of the peaceful coexistence of people with different political ideas, religions or ethnic identities by authoritarian leaders and armed groups has led to repression, violence and a sharp decline in overall freedom in 2023. Enough to create a unfavorable environment for democracy just as the world enters an important election year, underlines Freedom House.
A trend that is not inevitable: “
By drawing strength from diversity, protecting dissent and building international coalitions to support their own norms and values, democratic forces can still reverse the long decline of freedom in the world.
»
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